


Hand of God

by Uskius



Series: Uskius Talex Fanfic [2]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Explicit Language, Gen, intense action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 16:18:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4398833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uskius/pseuds/Uskius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Fly Me To The Moon! </p>
<p>Not happy with all the girly Talex fanfic out there, I decided to write some in my own special style! In this story, Tobin and Alex and the rest of the USWNT set out to stop Diego Maradona from gaining control of forces beyond the comprehension of mortals...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hand of God

It was seven thirty-four in the morning, and Diego Maradona was masturbating. The chants and songs of his worshippers, that was what gave him pleasure; the choirs singing his praises gave him great feelings. He stood from his throne and held up his hands, and the congregation quieted for his sermon. "My brothers and sisters, who do you find worthy? Who among you carries on in their prayers despite pain and suffering? Who, I ask, is worthy of being touched by the mighty Hand of God? Before I took my throne, there were so very few who felt this touch. Even now in my time though the numbers are greater, there are still too few. For though those who have my blessing are great, I wish to extend my Hand even to the least of us. That first starts with you!

But soon, I myself will lead the way! Imagine, the world fulfilling its purpose and reflecting my image! Imagine, my will making my promises manifest! Imagine, that even if my body should perish that I will always be with you! That is the world that will be. So, my brothers and sisters, I ask you: who do you find worthy?!" The church answered "Maradona" in its one TWO three four note pattern, and Diego Maradona had a look of solemn triumph as he lifted his hands to the heavens.

~oOo~

It was a day of good practices, and Alex Morgan smiled as she passed the ball to Tobin Heath. The crafty midfielder dribbled forwards then turned past Carli Lloyd and seeming made an awful pass, kicking the ball up behind her. Then Abby Wambach came in and jumped, heading the ball to the net! The shot surprised Hope Solo, but she was still able to get a hand on the ball. It was a tough shot though, and spun off Hope's hand into the net.

Coach of the U.S.A.'s Women's National Soccer Team, Tom Sermanni, blew his whistle. "That's enough ladies! Bring it in!" The players smiled and jogged over to Coach, waiting to hear his word. "We're getting better with the midfield run, but we can't always rely on a sly pass like Tobin's. Don't be afraid to force some separation! We'll start with the drill after warmups to-" There was a sudden song playing, one by Rebecca Black and Wiz Khalifa that everyone recognized at once. Coach nodded along with the beat for a minute, before pulling out his phone and seeing who the call was from. His eyebrows went up with surprisings, and he hurriedly pressed the answer button. "I need to take this," He said, stepping away from the group. "Pele, what is it?"

"The Church of Maradona has been causing riots all over the place down here! They're marching to the Hummingbird in the Nazca desert."

"Nazca?! But you moved it, didn't you?"

"Yes, and what's more Maradona knows that. But the Hummingbird has a greater purpose among the starmap of the lines, Tom. It points to the place where the leftover energies from the creation of the world and universe are stored."

"And I presume that if one was wielding the True Ballon d'Or, they would be able to control this energy as well?"

"Correct. Tom, I made the place secure as soon as I learned of it... but the lines might be part of some ritual to open the store, so that it can be accessed. I don't know how my fortifications would hold up against such a thing."

"Could you get Ronaldinho and a couple others to set up a deflation field around it?"

"I thought of that, but no. The power of the True Ballon d'Or cannot be countered by normal means. Only those with a certain quality to their P.S.I. can wield or defend against it. As you know, if not for my natural deflation, I would be such a person. However, there are- or were, I should say, others capable of the feat."

"Who are they? And do you know if Maradona is after them?"

Tobin Heath looked from Coach Tom to Yael Averbuch, beside her. "Have any idea who Coach is talking to? He sounds really worried."

"Beats me, I've never seen him get really grim like this during a call."

"Did you get a look at his screen before he walked away?" Asked Meghan Klingenberg.

"No, I wasn't standing close enough."

"I did," Carli Lloyd said. "It was from Pele."

"Pele?" Alex Morgan asked. "Do we finally get to know our schedule for the qualifiers and tournament?"

"That'd be nice, but I doubt it'd get Coach so concerned," Christie Rampone answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say it's something to do with the True Ballon d'Or. Pele's the last known wielder."

Yael's eyebrows and face went up with surprises. "You know about that? Wow, you're the only person besides myself that I know has heard of it."

"Yeah, what's it all about?" Tobin asked.

"It's an object of immense power, said to be able to reshape the world. It was originally a prize in the Meso-American ball game, which was part of the reason those games were so bloodthirsty and that even kings stepped onto the field. It meant that much."

"If it was so important then why haven't we heard of it?" Asked Alex. "I mean, I guess P.S.I. and that kind of thing aren't widespread knowledge, but surely it'd be the most famous thing in that area of the world..."

"It was. And then, thousands of years ago, it was sealed away. The games were for the right to dig it up, no one actually had possesion of it during the height of the games. So, it faded into myth."

"But you said Pele was the last known wielder, right? So isn't it out in the world somewhere, like sitting on the bathroom shelf at his house?"

"No," Yael answered Tobin. "Pele isn't the greatest on skill alone, but also because of his humility. As soon as he found the True Ballon d'Or, he took it away from the Nazca desert and hid it. Nobody but him knows where it is." At that point Coach Tom sighed and hung up his phone, turning back to the team.

"Ladies, I'm sorry to say but practice tomorrow has been canceled." Coach quieted the murmuring of why and continued. "A very urgent situation has come up that we need to address. I would like you all you pack your bags as I arrange the flight, and then early tomorrow morning we will be leaving."

"Where are we going?" Alex asked. "I didn't think we had any games or press to do for the rest of the month."

"We don't." Coach Tom sighed a manly sigh, and continued. "That was Pele on the phone just now. A situation has arisen concerning a certain artifact, and I'm afraid that we will have to intervene. You see, Diego Maradona has finally began to make a move for the True Ballon d'Or."

"Why? He can't wield it, can he?" Asked Christie.

"Correct, he is currently incapable of doing so, as his natural deflation has left him with too little P.S.I. to activate it. However, as Pele informed me, he is capable of stealing the power necessary to control it."

"From who? If I remember correctly," Christie said, "At any given time there are only a handful of people who have the right kind of P.S.I."

"Also correct," Said Coach Tom. "At this time last year there were three, including Maradona himself and Lionel Messi. Maradona has further deflated, and now has too little power; Messi was defeated previously this year, and has not reappeared."

"So who's the third?" Asked Tobin.

"Ah. You see, the third... is you. As Vince Russo's last prophecy states, 'the golden light controls all might'. This does not mean those whose P.S.I. takes on the qualities of the sun's strident, sharpened rays are invincible- that much has been proven- but that such a person could control the True Ballon d'Or, and thereby gain control of a power beyond all imagination. Tobin, after the battle with Messi earlier this year, Diego Maradona learned of you, and your skill. However, your safety is not the issue, as none of his known followers have any P.S.I. or abduction skills. What we are worried about is his church attempting to break loose an ancient power, one that may be far beyond that of even the True Ballon d'Or- because if Maradona gains this power and/or somehow becomes able to wield the True Ballon d'Or, he will be utterly unstoppable. So, ladies, we will be heading to Pele's estate, where we will further discuss the situation and act accordingly. Let's head back to the hotel and prepare for the trip..." These harsh and scary words gave the team feelings as if the watchings of evil were now upon them... which they were.

Tobin retreated to her quiet thinking face, knowing she had much to ponder. There were of many questions weaving around her mind's field, and she needed an answer to some of them. She looked over to Rachel Buehler, who had many knowledges of P.S.I., and stepped over to her teammate. "Hey Rachel, can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Well, I'd always thought that everyone's P.S.I. was different, and now we learn that there are- or were- three people who could've wielded the True Ballon d'Or; I just don't get it."

"My teacher said it a bit different, that everyone had a one-in-a-million, special kind of P.S.I. So just look at the numbers for a second: if everyone in the world could use it, then there'd be about seven thousand people with any given kind of P.S.I. around. But not everyone can use it, so certain types and qualities to P.S.I. can be extremely rare or never before seen. The golden light, though, there's... something different about it. It's shown up more frequently, the most of any individual kind."

"Then why haven't we heard of it more?"

"Oh. Well, that's just a well educated guess on my part. You see, everyone with it is special in some way, whether it's a particular skill, or their success, but they all have one thing in common- love of the game. Not a love they discover, Tobin, but one they grow with. You watch them play, and know it was something they were born to do."

Tobin saw these things were true, but did not know how they could be. "...I don't know, Rachel. You hear people tell you you're special your whole life and you feel normal, but it's so weird when you find out you really are, and that it matters. I don't know what to do."

Rachel gave a good friendly smile, and gave of a shoulder hug to Tobin. "I hate to get all cliche on ya, but just be yourself. We'll be here to watch your back."

"Thanks." Tobin smiled, and returned the shoulder hug with gratefulness.

After the showers of the locker room area, Alex was watching Tobin, and sat behind her on the bus. Tobin became of lost in her own world, her stylish headphones playing musical tunes that surrounded her like an army of angels. Alex knew of the look, of Tobin trying to distract herself. Alex had feeling of schoolgirl deep in her heart, and wanted to blow a straw wrapper at Tobin, or give wet willie. But at same time Alex knew part of Tobin's feels, and slumped into her seat, looking out as the world blurred on the window. Alex stayed of the quiet on ride to airport, putting in her own headphones, and listening to the Rebecca Black and Wiz Khalifa song on repeat. She thought of her good friendness with Tobin, and began to think of plans...

The airport was its normal boringness, even of the Fruit Ninja tournament the team had. Alex was able to win, but she only did a short hoppy victory dance, and not the Elaine Dance to rub it in as normal. This time, she sat next to Tobin on the plane, even though they didn't say much. But Tobin detected the fishiness, and looked up from her book. "What's up?"

"Nothing..."

"No really, what is it?"

"Well I'm just worried about this whole situation with Maradona. I mean, I'm not a genius but it just sounds like his 'church' marching off to the desert is a distraction so he can go after the True Ballon d'Or."

"Yeah, that makes sense. But I think this is one of those 'I know you know I know' situations, and we need to be prepared for a third option, a distraction from both of those things."

"And what the heck would that be? I mean, if Maradona and his church can't use P.S.I., what are they gonna do?" Tobin could only shrug, and Alex frowned. She could see Tobin acting like hero, and wished only for her friend back. She tried to be of staring out of the window, but Tobin didn't let her.

"Alex, what is it? You're not acting lke yourself."

"...This just reminds me of the whole battle against Messi a little too much. I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen, but Coach says we'll be safe."

"Just chill, everythi-" At that moment, everything went as wrong as it possibly could. The plane rocked violently and the windows shattered, air rushing into the cabin with severity. The roof and sides started to tear, a green flame peeking through as it cut the metal. The front of plane began to separate, and Abby Wambach jumped up to hold it together. It was of epic struggle, but after a few moments it became too much and Abby cried, letting go of the front half. As the front part and the other players fell away, they could see a large image of a man in the sky, wearing mighty gold-trimmed white robes, his dark hair blowing about like smoke from an explosion.

He spoke with a mighty voice, saying, "BEHOLD! I have come to take a power that is rightfully mine! I ask you, who is worthy?! Who sees fit to look beyond theirself, in grace and power? It is I! I alone am worthy, and by my Hand shall the world see salvation!"

Christie Rampone stood in the aisle with her arms being folded, not being blown back as of everyone else. "You can take that hand and shove it up your ass- or, as I think that's something you regularly do, use it to tape your fucking mouth shut! The world's only salvation is your end!"

"Something I regularly do? Oh, wouldn't you like to watch! You misunderstand, Rampone! Even my anus holds a glory beyond all comprehension! Remember this, you who have gone astray: the Hand of God does not die, it transcends!" The aura of green flames emanated from Diego Maradona, and it swam into the air of the airplane's back. All were of defending themselves, and when the fire was gone, so was Maradona!

But still, they were of falling from the sky! The civilian passengers were screaming and clutching the seats to hold on, and suddenly Alex saw Tobin standing at the edge of the plane. She waved for Abby to help her, and they jumped off! They flew under the bottom, and held the plane up so it fell in a safe way. The people inside began to calm down, and Alex got up to see where the front half was. It could not be seen, and Alex had fear, as Coach Tom and her good teammate friends were in it. After a while of looking out to the air, Tobin and Abbey flew back inside. "Guys, fly up! We're going to land!" Abby said, and Christie and Yael and Megan Rapinoe stood and helped them to fly up and keep the plane from crashing. Alex saw they were over a city, and about to land on a road. With suddenness they came down, with many crashing sounds and shaking. Despite the cryings it seemed no one was hurt too bad, her teammates did a good job. After checking on everyone to make sure they were okay, the team left the plane, and saw with shockings what was far down the road behind them- the front of the plane! They hurried to it, and saw Meghan Klingenberg waving to them.

"Guys! You made it!" She said, starting a happy group hug. They could hear people coming, it was Coach Tom and the rest of the team.

"Well done, Meghan. But this is not yet done! We must evacuate the area, in case the engines explode. Quickly! We must away!" With a nodding the team split up and began going to the houses and shops along the road; even though only a couple of them spoke Spanish the people had heard the crash, and understood of the danger. They walked with the citizens of a safe distance, and then Coach Tom gathered them together. "I had a brief conversation with Pele while you were clearing the area. There is a town with an airport in the region, and he will charter a jet for us to get into Brazil."

"But what if Maradona decides to attack that jet, too?" Asked Abby, with concern.

"If he does, then we will be expecting it! Maradona is powerful, yes, but a closed fist cannot save the world. Grace takes more strength than tyranny, and Maradona's ego has blinded him to this. He may not have the True Ballon d'Or, but he must be stopped- if he crosses our path again, I urge you to apprehend him. Now, let us hurry to the bus station..." The team nodded, and followed Coach Tom away to continue their epic journey.

~oOo~

After the long bus ride and flight, they were finally on the way to Pele's estate. Instead of being in the Winter, it was nice and had sunniness in the sky, with good clouds that were small and friendly. There was of tension in the air, so the team no notice weather much. They see each other being nervous, but know it was of also from going to meet Pele. Alex noticed Tobin was hiding with her headphones again, but stayed in her seat behind. Gazing with sighs out of the window, Alex saw a field- and a net. Her thinkings became smiley, and soon the gate was before them.

The gates had a shape of extra-large soccer goal, with doors being like a silvery net of metal. In the middle was a circle of metal like a ball, for pushing open. With button pushes from a remote inside the mansion they opened with musical metal sounds of gateness, and the bus drove through. There was of wide green lawn with nice shrubbery, and a simple fountain with tables and seats under small shady trees around it, and along the drive were stepping stones in shape of soccer balls. The big bus came to a stop in front of the house, and Alex could see someone waiting for them.

"Alright, ladies!" Called Coach Tom to the team. "Pick up your bags, let's head in!" They did so, now with excitedness at being at Pele's place. With jumble of bumpings they hurry out, and see the person at front door- it's Pele!

"Tom, it's been too long," He said as they shared a manly hug. "My dear ladies, welcome! Put your worries aside for a moment, and refresh yourselves. We'll discuss the current matter over evening tea later. You all can have your pick of the guest rooms on the second floor." Pele nodded to them, and he left with Coach Tom down a hall to the right.

"An amazing place," Abby Wambach said, with wonder. There were agreement noddings as they looked around the entry hall for a moment, seeing the nice painting and tall columns along the walls.

"Looks like the guest rooms are just right up here, so let's get settled in," Said Christie. The other girls followed her lead and went up the big staircase, resisting the feelings of bending down to touch the soft red carpet. Tobin looked around and decided to take a room at the front of the house, with a view of the lawn. Looking in, the room was of a nice size, not too big or small. It was decorated in green and cream, with nice sheets and fluffy pillows. But, it had been of a long bus ride, filled with many silences. The quiet only made things worse; so Tobin set her bags down near the bed and went into the bathroom. After taking care of her lady business she glimpsed something behind her as she washed her hands, something gold. With the toweling done she turned around to look, and saw a golden ball with hieroglyph writing on it on a stand, as if meekly saying hi with smilings. She reached out to touch it, feeling a weird static. Her fingertips brushed the surface and there was a sparking of P.S.I. between them, Tobin's inner feelings being filled of the splendors of big skies and high mountains. It seemed to last for a while, but was really just a few seconds, and Tobin gasped as she took her hand away.

Though she had never seen it before, she knew what it was. She stood with worried thinkings, not noticing when Alex walked in.

"What's up?"

"In, in the bathroom-"

"Yeah, I barely made it to mine too-"

"Not that- well, yes, but on the shelf in there.... there's a ball..."

"You mean a golden one, with hieroglyphs on it?"

"Yeah, just like that."

"There was one in my bathroom, too." To herself Tobin guessed maybe the ball wasn't so special after all, and went to sit on the edge of her bed. "Listen, Tobin... this deal with Maradona doesn't have to change you. You can still just be Tobin."

"Alex, sometimes trying my hardest isn't good enough. You know what that's like... I just thought that maybe if I pretend I'm a hero I'll end up being one."

"That's exactly it, you don't have to pretend. I think you can just-"

"Alex!" It was Sydney, looking in. "A few of us were going to dribble around on the back lawn. You wanna come?"

Alex sighed like the whisper of a dove, and stood. "Yeah, sure." Tobin watched them leave, and thought more of the golden ball on the bathroom shelf...

Most of the team had gathered with fun in the backyard, sharing juggling tricks and passing the ball around, jogging with happiness to keep up with each other. There were summery songs playing on Sydney's mp3 boombox, like the song by Rebecca Black and Wiz Khalifa and Call Me Maybe, and others. They played Monkey in the Middle, but just with bouncing the ball on their heads; and then there was a spirited game of Calvinball. The time was of a butterfly, and before they knew it Coach Tom was calling them in for evening tea. The tea room was on the first floor behind the staircase, so they could see into it as they came in. It had nice cozy old world look, of a good carpet and nice painting on the wall. Pele was there, as they expect, but it was with surprise guests as well- Alex couldn't believe it!

"Mister Cosby! No way! What are you doing here?"

"Bill Cosby's here? Sorry, I was kinda distracted by Morgan Freeman sitting next to Pele," Kelley O'Hara said. "Didn't notice."

"Bill and Morgan are here to lend some expertise," Pele said with explaining. "Please, come in," He said with waving to the rest of the team. Tobin smiled when she saw Morgan Freeman, happy to know her teacher was present. With everyone shuffling around to find a seat, she ended up sitting next to Alex and Yael. When all were of being seated, he said with speaking, "Diego Maradona... has decided to make himself a problem, this time off the field. He's stolen the P.S.I. of Neymar, and I suspect has other national team players on his side. I understand Tom has trained and led you all in this type of situation, but this time it's different. Diego's worshippers are now officially recognized as a church after he stole Neymar's power and staged an 'apotheosis', so we can't touch them. Maradona himself is fair game, as the public is unsure if he used any special effects during that stunt he pulled, but the government is keeping an eye on his church- especially after the riots they started. Unfortunately, you all can't be sent in to do what you need to do as a reactive unit. So, this will have to be done as a preventative measure: the church is quickly approaching the desert and location of the primordial demi-cache, and there is not much time to train."

"If we can't touch them, what kind of 'preventative measures' could we take?" Asked Rachel Buehler.

"It's simple," Pele said. "Your team will be there in the area as if going on an expedition; I have hired a guide for you all. I've also contacted a local TV station, and have agreed to do a short piece about this 'vacation'. I think that if Maradona knows you're in the area, he may call off their march."

"Then what's the training for?" Asked Yael.

"The Nazca desert is an unforgiving place in mid-Summer," Morgan Freeman said. "We'll be training you to deal with the heat and difficult terrain."

"And we'll be sneaking a couple of you fine ladies off to guard the cache, in the event Diego boots over to it himself."

Tobin nodded, but had questionings to say. "What about the True Ballon d'Or? That's what Maradona is after, right?"

"Indeed, but the cache comes first. If he gets a hold of that, not even someone with the True Ballon d'Or could stop him," Bill Cosby said with seriousness.

"The ball's well hidden," Pele said. "Diego won't be able to find it."

"But what if he knows where it is? Couldn't he... feel it?"

Pele looked at Tobin with eye squintings for a moment, then said, "That would have been the case in his playing days, before he deflated. The True Ballon d'Or... called out to me, in a way- that was how I found it in the first place. But since he's stolen Neymar's P.S.I. and only has that to work with, it won't react to him. He could walk right by it and not notice, so don't worry."

"How big is his church?" Nicole Barnhart asked, with chin holding.

"The so-called Grand Tabernacle can seat around a thousand," Morgan Freeman answered. "But my guess is that he has several times that number of followers. He doesn't have all of them on the march, and likely will only send his most able bodied worshippers into the desert."

"I can't believe he actually has a church devoted to him," Hope Solo said with head shakings. "I mean, I get people being Catholic or Islamic, but Diego Maradona? What kind of B.S. is he feeding them?"

Pele sighed, and doves cooed outside. "For a long while I wondered that too. But just recently, after he faked his 'ascension', it came to me: P.S.I. He has been giving them the secrets of pneuma per square inch, teaching them to understand the power that's inside, if you will. It would seem miraculous, to them; learning that they're special, or that he's 'blessed' them, after being told they were only human by science and everyone they know. It would certainly explain their fervor while on this march he's put them to." Pele looked of the faces of the team, but continued. "Relax. As you all know, it takes much hard training to use your P.S.I. effectively, even if you know you have it."

"What about the cache?" Nicole asked. "This is the first I've heard of it. Has Vince Russo written anything about it, or is there anything you can tell us?"

Pele shared a look with Coach Tom, and spoke with answering. "Yes, to both questions. When he states that the golden light controls all might, it is likely he meant the True Ballon d'Or was meant to act as a key to the demi-cache where all the energy was stored, or as a means to control it. Personally I am not sure of this, as the hieroglyphs on the ball are Egyptian, and the cache is in Peru. Even if it was created to act as a key or tool when all the continents were one, the True Ballon d'Or being from Egypt to me indicates that instead of those things it is a person wielding it that will have control of the energy stored within the cache. And that is why it is so pre-emminently important that the cache be safeguarded. If it were to fall into the wrong hands taking the True Ballon d'Or and forcing someone capable of wielding it into slavery would be child's play."

"You... mentioned there were hieroglyphs on the True Ballon d'Or," Christie asked with steepling of the fingers. "What do they say?"

Pele glanced at Tobin before answering Christie. "That is a secret for its wielders alone to know." Pele then decided to make a joke, because of all the seriousness. "But some say that it's where Rebecca Black and Wiz Khalifa got their lyrics from." He looked to his left, and staged whispered, "What's the word again, Bill?"

"Bazinga," Bill Cosby whispered.

"Ah. Bazinga!" Only Tobin was laughing, almost falling out of her chair; but some of the team knew what Pele was trying to do and smiled as they sipped their tea. Pele then began with explainings to tell of the training they would do, tough movement drills with sand and rocks, and great heat. With new determinings, the team got ready for the sleeping before the next day.

~oOo~

Tom Sermanni loved the smell of napalm in the morning. The explosion was like a flower blooming in the deep heart of winter, but Mana Shim was able to dodge it with her great speed. She made it back to Alex and Sydney and Meghan, and raised her arm against the fierce sandy wind. It was coming from Amy Rodriguez, who used her P.S.I. to blast it forwards over the back lawn, like a sandy hurricane. Alex led the way, trying hard to stay standing. Yael ran forwards to try to break up the group again, shooting her P.S.I. from her hand with a hard blue light, striking the ground and shotting up, making cracks with shininess. It forced the girls apart as intended, and they stumbled and rolled back because of the wind. With a cool raising of hand Yael made the cracks get larger and split off, like a honeycomb of light, for more keeping apart.

"Meghan, go! I'll be right behind you!" Alex called, and with squinting she could see her teammate fly up in to the airs. Alex made a Cosby Special and hurled it of the ground, the chocolate pudding countering the hard blue light Yael used. It was tough to run on. Then Abby flew in and cut off Meghan! It was tough air battle, but Meghan had epic Taekwondo and was able to use a yank-y dodge to throw Abby behind her before flying on again.

On the ground Ali Krieger came up next to Amy, and used her P.S.I. to make of a smoke cloud with the sandy wind. Alex could barely see past her own hand, and began to use her P.S.I. in special and difficult way: instead of making one ball to explode with thunder, it was of continuing, so that small space could be seen in front of her. With warrior charging she ran forwards with a shout, and tackled Amy! The sandy wind stopped and Alex's group charged forwards again. Yael was waiting for them, and used intricate swarm of blue lights to confuse Meghan and Sydney. Seeing Amy was tired and tackled by Alex, Ali fast made a ball and kicked it out, and it split into dozens of balls and knocked into Meghan and Sydney, who were busy dodging Yael's blue lights. Then Alex recovered and leapt for Ali, who was ready- Alex's punch burst her into a cloud of smoke, and she reappeared behind her. With a stabby kick to the back of Alex's knee Ali got ready, then used knee to Alex's neck to knock her down. Abby was about to fly in against Meghan, but Coach Tom blew his whistle.

"Well done! Yael, Abby and Ali made it to the time goal." Alex got a bit mad her team wasn't able to all get to the "cache zone", but supposed that it was still good they didn't. The time goal was of how long a normal person would last in such conditions as the desert, not the team.

"Coach, I think I need a break," Amy said.

"Of course, you can rest for the rest of the day," He said with graciousness. "We will now begin the heat drills!" The team groaned, it was already hot out.

"As before, this will be a test of endurance!" Bill Cosby said. "So remember the main principal of judo: minimal effort, maximum effect. Don't wear yourselves out too quickly."

"Not that I'm complaining, but we're already worn out," Hope Solo said. There were agreement murmurings, and Coach Tom nodded.

"Aha! You see, this is where mental endurance comes into play," Bill Cosby said. "When I was in Jakarta in eighty-nine I had been up for two days, was soaking wet, and felt like I had been sleep walking until Tom got there. But I was able to keep going, and defeat Kim Jong Il. So it's mental toughness and endurance that separates the men- or women, I suppose- from the girls."

"True," Coach Tom agreed with manliness. "A short water break, and then we will begin." As Alex walked by he asked Bill Cosby, "How has Tobin been doing with Pele?"

"It's like he's speaking another language. Between him and Morgan it's hard to know exactly what's going on, but she'd worked up a sweat when I stopped by after lunch."

"Good, good. Have any of the ladies said anything to you about the statuettes?"

"No, but they're in every bathroom, and you know how women and shiny things are."

"Have you told them anything about the statuettes?"

"Always with the wording. No. I'm good with picture books, but not pictures as words. You'll have to ask Tobin and Pele about that."

Tom nodded with arm foldings, and watched as the team came back into the sandiness of the previous drill. He gave a thumbs up to Rachel Buehler and Christie Rampone, and Rachel started to throw a few more soccer balls at the ground, making more rocks to move around. Christie raised her hands with cool posings and her P.S.I. made the back lawn hot, as of like a Groudon. There were some heat blurrings over the sand, and Coach Tom pressed play on the beep track...

Tobin heard the beeps, and got chills, homie. She was upside down, balancing on a spike on one finger. "Don't let the noise get to you, Tobin! Focus!"

Pele could see Tobin was of not putting her mind in the exercise, and asked. "What's going through your head? Come on, out."

"I'm just not sure what this is doing for me..."

"It's taking the essence of flight and bringing it to its highest level," Morgan Freeman said.

"Yes! Exactly! But you aren't going up, you're going down. The inversion and focus are what it's about. Everyone is born with a limit, Tobin. Not everyone is gifted with the drive to exceed it, and this is what this drill is made to do. Focus and precision always have a use," Pele said with wisdoms.

"Now switch to your left arm and give me another twenty reps," Morgan Freeman coached. Tobin did so, and he could see the spike was not with bloodiness, that Tobin was doing well. He then began to see how she did with noise, as he said a moment ago. He then began this by playing the guitar solos from Through the Fire and the Flames on a guitar made of burning white wings and strung with blue-white light. Tobin didn't look even as he played behind his head, so he switched to playing a metal version of Rebecca Black and Wiz Khalifa's song.

"In Nova Scotia it's actually a crime to skip over Herman Li's second solo," Tobin said as she did her fourteenth pushup, still looking at the spike. Morgan Freeman chuckled and did the second solo, seeing if Tobin would notice the sixty-fourth note triplet string skipping sweep arpeggios he added in, but she still kept of the focus on the spike. He kept playing fun and airy stuff in A minor for a little bit, then turned off the amp as Tobin finished the pushups.

"Pinch grip, pointer fingers of both hands!" Instructed Pele. Tobin switched for the new holdings, trying extra hard because the spike was smooth. She had her good focusings for a moment, but then there was a large sound of crashings and metal screaming like a guy who just saw his WoW account was blocked by mom. Pele tipped Tobin over and they heard Anakin vs. Obi-Wan from Episode Three playing in the blue skies, with great flame sounds, too. "Morgan, the Ballon d'Or. With me, Tobin!" They hurry to the back lawn, and see a ball of green flames in the sky.

"WHO IS WORTHY?!" Thundered Diego Maradona. "Concealment is an admission of guilt! Did you really think you could hide her away here? You do not hide a stolen cookie back in the cookie jar!"

"If this is the crime scene it's no surprise the criminal has returned," Said Coach Tom with ground-shaking manliness.

"You won't get to her!" Said Alex, stepping up between the team and Maradona.

"There is no escaping the reach of the Hand of God! At this very moment I have one hand holding the Nazca desert and the other holding the True Ballon d'Or!"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"It means his followers took a flight instead of marching," Bill Cosby said.

There were gasps with shock in the team. "Quickly, to the bus!" Coach Tom said. "We've no time to spare!" But as the team grouped up, Diego Maradona cut them off with a wave of green fire before they could escape.

"Get to the bus, I'll hold him off!" Bill Cosby said.

"No, I can't leave you!"

"Go, Alex! I'll be the last of the old guard standing in the way! You'll have your time soon!" As Cosby finished speaking Maradona tried to fly at the group, but was blocked by Bill. They traded of frumious martial arts, with Bill Cosby still being nimble. But with Neymar's stolen P.S.I. Maradona was more fresh, out striking Bill. "What are you waiting for, get going!" As Bill had of turned to the team, he could not see the hit from Diego, which sent him spinumbling backwards.

"NO!" Alex screamed, her voice breaking. But the team was pulling her along, and she couldn't go to help. Bill Cosby got back up though, and resumed his brave attackings. He used the Red Dragon Style as of he taught to Alex, with great majesty in his leapings. Still, Diego was of with the upper hand, striking faster and with more furies in his Capoeira. But as he did of a cartwheel, Bill Cosby saw a chance.

"THIS IS FOR AMERICA, BITCH!" He used a Harley Race-like high knee to hit Diego as he finished the cartwheel, legions of angels rejoicing as he did so. But Diego had a good toughness, and battled back. And despite his good braveness, Bill was beginning to stumble and Diego took advantage, hitting with more whippy kicks, even doing the splits upside down and spinning at Bill. This kick knocked Bill Cosby down, and he groaned as he rolled over onto his stomach.

"Tom!" It was Morgan Freeman, holding one of the Ballon d'Or statuettes. But before he could go too far Diego Maradona flew down from behind the house. He tried to grab it from Morgan Freeman, but Morgan held on. It was epic struggle, a bitter reality like the fart of Dick Cheney. With a roar Diego wrenched it from Morgan, and began to punch his former mentor. "How could you do this, Diego! You were the chosen one!"

"I accept no destiny but the one I make for myself!" Diego said with a mighty yell, punching Morgan Freeman one last time, his fist trembling with agony and triumph. He stood and turned to the team, who were now on the bus. "Go, run to Nazca! But when you see me arrive in glory, ask yourself: WHO IS WORTHY?!" With a blaze of green fires like the erupting of a volcano, Diego Maradona vanished. With a sad look as the bus began to drive away, Tobin saw Morgan Freeman stretch out his hand toward her. She put her palm to the back window of the bus and whispered goodbye, making promises in her heart.

~oOo~

The sky was windy and hot, like a Rand Paul filibuster. The sun was bright and there were no birds chirping, and all the grass was dead. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Meghan Klingenberg asked Christie.

"One foot in front of the other," Christie replied with tough leaderness. "From what Coach said Pele told him there aren't very many places the cache could be, so it should just be a straight line from the beak."

"And, you know, there's probably going to be a cult waiting for us," Hope Solo added. The team grumbled with mutterings about this, and focused on the desert walk.

Tobin was getting of a bad feeling, like the watchings of evil were on her; like being pulled with a slingshot. She wanted to talk with Alex about this, but her friend had been silent to her, and she didn't know why. She'd been trying to act like the "normal" Tobin, but still Alex didn't want to talk. She looked of the empty sandiness around in the desert, seeing a starry darkness swirling out from everything like waves of smell. She blinked and it went away for a second, but came back as she saw a cactus to her right. She made a hand visor to help her far-off lookings, and the swirly stars mirage thing looked thicker and with more realness. In the sky the starriness was of like rainbows trailing from the lights. Then the ground shook, and Tobin was sure. "Guys, we're late! We have to hurry!"

"Tobin, slow down!" Christie said as Tobin ran by.

"They've already opened the cache!" There were gasps with shock in the team, and some of them started to hurry after Tobin, one by one until of the whole team caught up. It took a couple minutes of tough running, but they soon saw the darkness like the space between stars, and some people there in a crowd. With getting closer, they could hear singing, chanting like in the style of monks. More more running, people from the crowd noticed them, and turned around. There was shouting in Portuguese, then in international language of gunshots. But that person was hit by the others, and they took the gun away, saying things that probably meant "idiot" in Portuguese. One of them walked forwards, a Peruvian lady with "D10S" on her forehead.

"Why have you come here," She asked with a heavy American accent. "Is it to share in the glory?"

There were glances of nervous around the team, and Abby Wambach decided to speak. "No. This place is dangerous, you shouldn't be here." There was another ground shaking as she said this, and everyone wobbled for a second until it stopped.

"There is no danger, our lord will protect us." Said the lady.

"Yeah, and that's the problem. This place needs to stay hidden and sealed away, not in the control of Maradona."

"Not him? Who is worthy? I shall laugh as you find no others for an answer-"

"I am worthy," Alex said. Things became quiet, like a room where parents kissed and the child walked in. She walked up with braveness, lifting her chin. "I, Alex Morgan, declare Diego Maradona is a false god and that I alone deserve control of this area!"

"Blasphemy!" The Peruvian lady and the others made a letter d with their hands and moved them in a circle around their hearts. "You are only a woman as I am, but D10S has become more than just a man, he is-" At that moment the small little hill behind Diego Maradona's followers blew up, the starry darkness erupting with lavaness. It had a effect of erasing things, even the air, where the lights got shinier; it sucked in the light and seeings from around the crowd of Maradona's followers and the team, and there were great tremblings, as if the earth was doing the Harlem Shake. Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima started playing, and a bright light rose up from the depths, a person!

"No! It can't be!"

"You're supposed to be dead!" Kelley said.

"Bad habit of mine, I guess." Said Lionel Messi. He didn't look as of dead, but of uber health. He had stars in his hair, and glowed with light. He looked out of the crowd with a smile, and began speaking. "Behold! I have risen. I thought the darkness to be death, but no- it was power. It healed me, and now I have become more than any man has been before. Ladies and gentlemen, I am god."

"You need to take a lesson from Galactus," Alex said. "Power doesn't put you in that place."

"Says the infidel who could not save her mentor," Messi countered. "While in my slumber I achieved infinite vision. I owe this to you, you know. Had you not cast me into the void I would have never come by my divinity."

"Which means that you would have died," Alex said with her serious face. "Guys, clear out. This is gonna get ugly in a hurry."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tobin said. "I've beaten him once and he needs to know that he's still mortal."

"No, dammit! This is something I need to do, Tobin!" Tobin had a hurt look on her face, and walked away.

Lionel chuckled. "Well then. You say power doesn't put me in that place, but there is always a place for power. And now I will show you!" He rushed at Alex with great rushings, but she was ready. He used fast Muay Thai kickings, faster than she had seen him use ever before. She tried to counter with her good Red Dragon Style attackings, but Lionel was with great speed and blocked and dodged her best attackings. She had a bit of luck and got him with a clawing attack to his stomach, but it didn't seem to bother him much. He got her with a trippy kick as he dodged a side kick from Alex, and formed a ball that explodiated with starry golden light against her stomach. "I shall make you an offer, that things may be as they were meant to: join me, Alex! We could rule the universe, god and queen together!"

"Being a royal doesn't run in my blood, Messi. I'm only going to do what's right for me here."

"Oh, so you accept?"

"Never!" Using her most hidden technique, Alex's P.S.I. became as of an aura of lightning, the electricness stimulating her muscles and senses. She leapt up with great quickness surprising Messi and hitting him with elegant front kick, knocking him back a few feet. But Messi still had his toughness, and retaliated with fast needle punches. Alex blocked them on all sides of his wrist, causing Messi to wince and frown.

"Still you resist!' Said Messi as they continued dueling. "Accept your destiny and become mine!"

"I'll only accept the destiny I make for myself!" Alex said. She hit Lionel with a toe kick, then trapped him in a headscissors as she pummled his kidneys for a second. With a mighty leap she jumped and flipped him up, and then came crashing back down. "Liger Bomb!" A burst of lightnings cracked up the ground, making a crater.

Alex did the Batista roll away, and when she stood saw that Messi was too! "HOW DARE YOU! Don't make me assume my ultimate form!" He said, mouth having of bloodiness.

"Oh, ultimate form? What's that, you turn into the giant dick that you are?" Messi growled, and hunched over with a power-up pose.

"This is your last chance! Worship me and become my bride, Alex- or I will end you!"

"If you're a god then I'm a non-believer!" Alex tried to race in as of lightning and attack Messi, but became slower as she got close, the starry darkness becoming thick like pudding as Messi gathered power. "No!" Alex decided that if Messi was to use his ultimate form, she would prepare her ultimate attack. Alex formed a large ball that crackled with lightnings, and then gave it more power as she used used her concentratings to shrink it. As it got smaller and smaller, sometimes an arc of lightning would split off, sparkling with rainbowy light. The air around Messi was with great blurriness, the light bending around him. Alex could see she needed to hurry. She continued her shrinkings, until her ball was too tiny to see- it was ready! Lionel didn't seem to be in his ultimate form yet, so she fired it away. "Planck Ball!" There was a great sound of thunder, like as the echoing of a planet breaking in half; the air between Alex and Messi rippled and twisted in on itself, with bright flashes of rainbowy light. His eyes pure light, Lionel looked up at Alex. With a hero shout Alex pushed the Planck Ball forwards with all her might, until it connected with Lionel. The electricness explodiated with ever greater thunders, it seeming as if Messi grew to giant size and his form was twisty and shattered and filled with rainbowy sparkings.

Alex blinked. Messi was now shriveled up and black, like a two-dollar steak cooked by a careless vegan. There was of a bloody red light in his eyes, and he stretched his hand out to Alex with trembling. "I... made a mistake..." Alex gulped, as even though Messi fought her it was no easiness to see him how he was. "I... should have kill-..." Messi turned into dust that was blown away- except for his eyes, which stayed as of lights and drifted into the heavens. Looking at her hands for a moment, Alex soon noticed a rushing sound, like the rippling fart of a jet engine, with swirling winds.

"Who...?" She could see one of her teammates standing with their hands raised in an energy gathering pose, their hair blowing around.

"Tobin? What are you doing?!"

"Keeping the energy out of Maradona's reach!"

"Are- are you absorbing it? Stop, that's dangerous!"

Tobin looked over her shoulder at Alex, with great determinedness on her face. "This is something I need to do! I'm not some hero who could take on Messi or Maradona by themself! I'm just Tobin, doing the best I can..." Tobin looked back into the starry darkness, and the sounds of swirling energy got louder. Then, as Alex watched Tobin, one of the stars became with more brightness. It got closer, and started to look green- then Alex realized it was Diego Maradona approaching!

"WHO IS WORTHY?!" Asked Maradona, with thunderness as he descended. His followers cheered and began to sing his name. "Even now at the hour of my coming, the false and unworthy stretch out hands that cannot heal. Their hands reach out for a power not meant for the impure! Who is worthy? Who bears the Hand of God?!"

"If the real Hand of God was here, it'd probably be holding your mouth shut!" Alex said.

"For once you speak the truth, Alex Morgan. The time for talk is over!" Maradona looked away into the starry dark energy, and raised his hands to absorb it. Alex had a fearfulness in her heart then, wondering if Tobin would be able to win. The energy swirlings became with violence. There were terrible flashings and thunders between Diego and Tobin, like a supernova of epic fireflies. Alex could see the darkness swirling around Tobin now, her friend getting blurry. There was a look of tough effort on Maradona's face, and Alex could see he wasn't looking at Tobin- and that the True Ballon d'Or was being of held in one hand!

Alex ran forwards, the spiralness of Tobin absorbing the starry blackness making it hard to stand up. It was tough, but Alex was still able to run, and went around to Maradona's side. As she got close the swirlings made it as if running on jello. With a hero dive, Alex snatched the True Ballon d'Or from Maradona! "Tobin!" Alex hurled the ball to her, the globe getting brighter and brighter.

"What have you done?!" Diego roared. Alex turned around, and saw Maradona's eyes were with an angry light, red and loud. "Do you not want me to bring utopia to the world?!"

"If you're in charge, Heaven can wait!" Maradona yelled, the power sending Alex flying back to beside Tobin.

"I understand..." Tobin whispered to herself, as she looked at the True Ballon d'Or. "This is your final hour, Maradona!"

"Final hour?! I am not some tyrant to be overthrown- you came here looking for a madman, but instead you found a god! My church will sing my name for generations upon generations!"

"You've forgotten something important, Diego! Ruling with only power leads to a disaster! 'The golden light controls all might'- and that light is love!"

"But I had that power! Why?! Why couldn't it be me?!" Tobin raised the True Ballon d'Or, and the swirling starry darkness becoming loud as of a tornado. As the ball got brighter, the blackness became dimmer, then vanished into Tobin, like water down a drain. Suddenly the desert was back, windy and hot. Diego didn't have his green flames, or eyes of angry light, he just looked old and tired. "M- mercy..."

Tobin snapped her fingers, and Maradona's hands became tied up behind his back. "No. Mercy would be ending your life right here. I'm going to let you live, so you have a chance to understand what you've done, and turn away from it." Maradona started to cry, and Tobin walked past him to the small hill.

"Tobin...?" Alex whispered. The team followed her to the hill, and gathered around the base.

"What are you going to do?" Asked Meghan Klingenberg, making a hand visor as she looked up the hill to Tobin. Tobin wasn't shining, but she was so Tobin-y and healthy it was like she was glowing.

"I'm going to do the only thing that should be done with this power!" Answered Tobin, raising up the True Ballon d'Or. It glowed with great brightness, and then with a shout from Tobin it exploded! It was like watching Imax movie in fast forward, with many scenes of powerful beauty explodiating out: mountains and silent forests, streams and laughing brooks, grassy valleys and flowers, creatures big and tiny, familiar and new. Alex stumbled back, and fell against something tall. She closed her eyes, and was of taking deep breaths to try calming herself.

When Alex opened her eyes, she was in a forest like on she'd seen in the explosion, and was up against a tree. Tobin was standing on the hill, her arms raised up. Her legs looked like bark, and Alex could see the bark spreading! "No!" But as she ran up the hill, the bark spread faster. Alex tried to pull Tobin out of the ground, but she was stuck! Soon all of Tobin was barky, and branches with leaves grew from her hands. "NO!" Alex shook the tree, but nothing happened. She sat down and started to cry at the base of the tree, and Meghan and her other teammates joined her.

~oOo~

In the time of the evening, Alex woke up. Christen Press was sitting next to her, and a little bit away Lindsey Horan had a scowly thinking face as she stared into the forest. There was a commotion going on that came closer, and the team walked out. "Guys!" As the team jogged up the hill, she could see someone wearing white walking with them. It was Pope Francis! Alex stood, but then didn't know if she should kneel or bow or something, and shuffled out of the was as he came up to the tree.

The Pope laid his hand on the tree with questionings in his touch, and looked up into the branches. He sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"What do we do, sir?"

"To this tree?" He asked, pointing. Alex nodded. "Wait a day."

"What do you mean- uh- I don't understand, sir."

"You will see soon, Miss... Morgan? Your coach and Pele informed me of the situation, but I am certain there is no need to worry."

"But you have to do something!

"I can do nothing for your friend, Miss Morgan. However, I do intend to consecrate this tree."

"And, and what are you going to tell us next, that only true love's kiss will awaken Tobin?"

"The love and prayers of a friend are powerful," Pope Francis nodded. "If you would," He said, gesturing for room. Alex frowned and moved aside to watch Pope Francis consecrate the tree, the Latin words bubbling up against her ears with no understandings.

"It's kinda odd, isn't it?" Said Yael, surprising Alex. "The Pope blessing a tree out here in the middle of the Nazca Des- uh, Forest?"

"I've seen weirder things, like a person turning into a tree," Alex answered.

"Have you guys seen the True Ballon d'Or?" Yael asked.

"No," Answered Meghan. "I haven't seen it anywhere."

"Speaking of not seeing things, where's Maradona?"

"Abby and Christie are watching him," Said Yael. "So I'm sure he didn't swipe the True Ballon d'Or. That's so strange, for it to have vanished into thin air..."

Alex bit her lip and watched the Pope continue praying as he walked around the tree. "Are we going to camp out here? We don't have any tents or anything."

"The camping gear's on the bus with our other stuff. Meghan, will you fly over there with me to get it?" Meghan nodded, and took off with Yael. Alex's stomach rumbled, and she went to see if there were any berries to eat.

~oOo~

Alex stepped out of the tent, into the forest-y night. She had not been of sleeping good, and needed fresh air. She walked up the hill to the tree, which was in the moonlight. The branches rustled in the wind, and Alex looked up into the with startledness. There was a big shape hanging from one of the limbs, but it wasn't a bat. Alex could see with squinting that it was a fruit. "That wasn't there yesterday... wait. Wait a day! That's it!" Alex was of sure that this large fruit had Tobin inside, and laughed and smiled. She gave the tree a hug, and sat down beside it, leaning on it. "...What I said, when Messi showed up, I just didn't want you to pretend to be a hero. I just wanted you to be Tobin, and safe. Maybe being a hero is about helping your friends, instead of taking the big job by yourself. I wasn't sure who you were when we heard about Maradona and the True Ballon d'Or, I just wanted to be friends. Would that still be okay?" There were no answerings from the tree, and Alex sighed and curled up against it.

For a long time Alex sat against the Tobin tree, listening to the forest sounds. The sun came up, a nice dawn that was like the Brady to Thompkins touchdown pass. "Where's the beef?" Meghan Klingenberg asked.

"It's in the other pack with the salami!" Christen Press said. Alex realized she was of hungry, and got up to go have breakfast with the team. It was snacky, but fun now that the tough fightings were over.

"I think we should take a look around," Said Abby. "I mean, it's not every day you're in a desert and it turns into a forest."

"Yeah, we should take a little hike," Agreed Megan Rapinoe with agreeings. The team like the idea, so they got their water bottles and decided on a route. Alex looked back and could see the fruit was even bigger than before, beachball size now. She smiled, and turned to go with her teammates.

The hike was good, with many animals popping up; Meleana Shim got to take a selfie with a leopard, and Alex played tag with a family of deer for a couple of minutes. There were cool little gulches and gullies to jump over, and tall trees to wind around. Around lunch they were of coming back to the hill. "What's that thing on the tree?" Asked Meleana.

"It's Tobin!"

"You know," Yale said to Christie, "If she hadn't turned into a tree yesterday that would sound pretty ridiculous." The team jogged to catch up to Alex, and could see the fruit.

"You don't get it!" Diego Maradona jumped up next to the tree, waving a hatchet. "You are not ready! The second comes to the impure, to a world that failed the first! That failed itself! So as you gloat and call yourself heroes, answer me this: WHO IS WORTHY?!" Diego turned around and wound up for a big swing, but then Pope Francis appeared! He delivered a Spear to Maradona that made Goldberg shiver and get goosebumps as of feeling someone walk on his grave. Maradona swung wild to try of hitting the Pope, but it was ducked under into an rear waistlock. Pope Francis rolled down the hill giving German suplexes, the tossed Diego against his knee for a backbreaker. With heave like strongman tossing keg, Pope Francis tossed Maradona into the air and jumped to catch him, spinning around for a heavy piledriver that explodiated the ground.  
"Not you," Pope Francis said quietly, with dusting off of his robes. He whispered some short prayer, then pulled up Maradona and handed him off to the team. Alex look of Maradona and the Pope for a second, then went back up the hill to the tree.

The fruit was even larger than before, of a size for holding a person! It had a cool orange skin like a sunset. "Come on..."

"The time wil soon come," Pope Francis said with comfortings. Alex sighed, and Pope Francis put an hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps some music as we wait?" Alex wasn't sure if Pope Francis would chant or sing or something, but she nodded anyways. The Pope twisted the top of his staff, and the bottom part popped out into a guitar. He picked it up and started to play, with gentle fingerings in the classical style. It had a happy upbeatness, one that made Alex smile. After a moment she recognized the tune, and wondered where the Pope heard that song. She smiled and sang along, and some of the team joined in, such as Meghan who had a very good voice to match the song. They made Yael do Wiz Khalifa's rap part, but before she could finish there was a sound from the tree, and the fruit fell!

They all gathered around it, and it wobbled a little bit! After more wobblings, a hand popped out! Another hand popped out, and it pushed apart the fruit. Tobin climbed out, and she looked of having come up from waters, even though she wasn't wet. "Well, I guess I can cross turning into a tree off my bucket list."

"Tobin!" Alex gave Tobin a big hug, and everyone joined in.

"I heard you last night," Tobin whispered to Alex.

"You did?" Tobin nodded and smiled, and squeezed Alex with a hug. But then Tobin's stomach growled, and everyone chuckled. They went back down the hill to camp, and as she looked over her shoulder Alex saw Tobin hand something shiny to Pope Francis.

~oOo~

"Qualm!'

"Darn it..." Alex handed over her Mega Arceus card to Tobin. "Play another round?"

"Nah, I've had enough of Bananagrams for now."

"Okay." Alex put her tiles back in her banana, and looked out the window of the plane for a little bit. Making up her mind, Alex decided to ask Tobin of something that gave her puzzlings. "Hey, Tobin..."

"What is it?"

"What was that thing you handed the Pope, back in the jungle?"

Tobin had a frowny thinking face for a minute, then looked into Alex's eyes with seriousness. "That was the second True Ballon d'Or."

The End


End file.
